Furniture with disconnectable parts

ABSTRACT

Furniture such as chairs, sofas and tables are provided with parts having slides or rails which can be assembled by interconnecting slides and rails and can be disassembled by disconnecting slides and rails.

United States Patent Grant, Sr.

[54] FURNITURE WITH DISCONNECTABLE PARTS [72] Inventor: Everette A. Grant, Sr., 116 Shaft Street,

Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada [22] Filed: Feb. A, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 8.535

52 us. Cl ....'..'......-297/440 51 Int. Cl...' .....A47c 7 00 5s Field of Search ..297 440, 442,416

[56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 004.469 l1/l90 8 Anderson ...297/440 [4 1 Apr. 25, 1972 Mueller ..297/440 Curtis Weiss ..297/440 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-Garry Moore Attorney-Eugene L. Bernard, Martin J. Brown, James N. Dresser, W. Brown Morton, Jr., John J. Roberts and Malcolm L..Sutherland [57] 1 ABSTRACT Furniture such as chairs, sofas and tables are provided with parts having slides or rails which can be assembled by interconnecting slides and rails and can be disassembled by disconnecting slides and rails.

1 Claims, 7 Drawing-Figures v PATENTEDAPR 2 5 I972 fry In my invention, a piece of furniture is formed of a small plurality of constituent parts which are each provided with one or more slides or rails. Each slide is adapted to fit slidably and removably into a corresponding rail whereby the piece of furniture is assembled. Alternatively, the assembled piece of furniture can be easily, taken apart by removing each slide from its associated track by sliding same apart.

The advantages of my invention are considerable. Furniture can be'shipped and stored apart, taking up slightly more than 50 percent of the space. Each part can be covered separately with plastic to prevent damage. Furniture can be covered with considerable less material, and covered in half the time. Furniture can be taken apart in a few seconds in the event of a spark or cigarette getting into it. Furniture can be moved very easily BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a side view of an arm of a'chair as used in my invention; v I

FlG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a front view of the back of a chair as used in my inventionj FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 shows in front view a chair assembled in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 6 shows a partially assembled chair in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 7 shows the seat of a chair as used in my invention; and FIG. 8 shows a modified type of slide-rail connection used in my invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED I EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. 1-4 and 7, arms 10 of a chair can have interior'horizontal rails 12 extending from front to rear and in cross section having an opening 14 having the shape of a truncated V or trapezoid. These arms can also have vertically inclined rails 16 of similar construction at the rear interior. A back 18 can have inclined slides 20 at opposite edges, these slides having the same contour as opening 14. When slides 20 engage rails 16, the chair is partially assembled. Seat 22 has slides 24 at opposite sides, slides 24 having the same contour as rails 12. When slides 24 engage rails 12, the chair is.

completely assembled.-

An alternate structure as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 uses a seat 22 with horizontal rails engaged by bottom slides 32 of arms I0.

FIG. 8 shows a modified type of connection using rails 40 and slides 42, the slides being secured to a part 44.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, such is not to be considered as limiting its actual scope.

Having thus described this invention, what is asserted as new is:

I. A disconnectable chair comprising by the housewife by taking apart, and upholstered by her if necessary.

A. a seat unit having l. a first side edge surface;

2. a second side edge surface opposite the first side edge I surface and cooperating with the first side edge surface to define the seat unit width;

3. a front edge surface;

4. a rear edge surface opposite the front edge surface and cooperating with front edge surface to define the seat unit length; 1

5. a lower surface with a-plurality of leg members extending downwardly therefrom; and

6. an upper surface opposite the lower surface and having thereon means defining first and second dovetail slots, each dovetail slot closely ad acent an uniquely associated side edge surface and with a center axis substantially parallel the associated side edge surface and extending substantially the length of the seat unit and extending to one'of said front edge surface and said rear edge surface and having a uniform taper over the dovetail slot length with a larger cross section adjacent said one of said front edge surface and said rear edge surface; B. first and second arm units, each having 1. a front edge surface;

2. a rear edge surface;

3. an upper surface;

4. a bottom surface opposite said upper surface and cooperating with the upper surface to define the arm unit height and including means defining a projection adapted to mate with a dovetail slot of the seat unit upper surface, permitting engagement of the projection in the dovetail slot to secure said arm unit to said seat unit;

5. an exterior side surface; and

6. an interior side surface having thereon means defining a dovetail slot located adjacent the arm unit rear edge surface and extending from the arm unit upper surface at least a portion of the height of the arm unit, said arm unit dovetail slot being uniformly tapered over the length thereof and having-a larger cross-sectional area at said arm unit upper surface; and

C. a back unit having 1. an upper edge surface;

2. a lower edge surface opposite said upper edge surface and cooperating with the upper edge surface to define the back unit height;

3. a rear surface;

4. a front surface;

5. a first side edge surface having means defining a projection adapted to mate with the dovetail slot on the interior side surface of the first one of the first and second arm units, permitting the dovetail slot to secure- 

1. A disconnectable chair comprising A. a seat unit having
 1. A FIRST SIDE EDGE SURFACE;
 2. A SECOND SIDE EDGE SURFACE OPPOSITE THE FIRST SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND COOPERATING WITH THE FIRST SIDE EDGE SURFACE TO DEFINE THE SEAT UNIT WIDTH;
 2. A SECOND SIDE EDGE SURFACE OPPOSITE THE FIRST SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND COOPERATING WITH THE FIRST SIDE EDGE SURFACE TO DEFINE THE SEAT UNIT WIDTH;
 2. a rear edge surface;
 2. a lower edge surface opposite said upper edge surface and cooperating with the upper edge surface to define the back unit height;
 3. a rear surface;
 3. an upper surface;
 3. A FRONT EDGE SURFACE;
 3. A FRONT EDGE SURFACE;
 4. A REAR EDGE SURFACE OPPOSITE THE FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND COOPERATING WITH FRONT EDGE SURFACE TO DEFINE THE SEAT UNIT LENGTH;
 4. A REAR EDGE SURFACE OPPOSITE THE FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND COOPERATING WITH FRONT EDGE SURFACE TO DEFINE THE SEAT UNIT LENGTH;
 4. a bottom surface opposite said upper surface and cooperating with the upper surface to define the arm unit height and including means defining a projection adapted to mate with a dovetail slot of the seat unit upper surface, permitting engagement of the projection in the dovetail slot to secure said arm unit to said seat unit;
 4. a front surface;
 5. a first side edge surface having means defining a projection adapted to mate with the dovetail slot on the interior side surface of the first one of the first and second arm units, permitting the dovetail slot to secure said back unit to said first arm unit; and
 5. an exterior side surface; and
 5. A LOWER SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF LEG MEMBERS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM; AND
 5. A LOWER SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF LEG MEMBERS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM; AND
 6. AN UPPER SURFACE OPPOSITE THE LOWER SURFACE AND HAVING THEREON MEANS DEFINING FIRST AND SECOND DOVETAIL SLOTS, EACH DOVETAIL SLOT CLOSELY ADJACENT AN UNIQUELY ASSOCIATED SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND WITH A CENTER AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THE ASSOCIATED SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF THE SEAT UNIT AND EXTENDING TO ONE OF SAID FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND SAID REAR EDGE SURFACE AND HAVING A UNIFORM TAPER OVER THE DOVETAIL SLOT LENGTH WITH A LARGER CROSSSECTION ADJACENT SAID ONE OF SAID FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND SAID REAR EDGE SURFACE; B. first and second arm units, each having
 1. a front edge surface;
 2. a rear edge surface;
 3. an upper surface;
 4. a bottom surface opposite said upper surface and cooperating with the upper surface to define the arm unit height and including means defining a projection adapted to mate with a dovetail slot of the seat unit upper surface, permitting engagement of the projection in the dovetail slot to secure said arm unit to said seat unit;
 5. an exterior side surface; and
 6. an interior side surface having thereon means defining a dovetail slot located adjacent the arm unit rear edge surface and extending from the arm unit upper surface at least a portion of the height of the arm unit, said arm unit dovetail slot being uniformly tapered over the length thereof and having a larger cross-sectional area at said arm unit upper surface; and C. a back unit having
 1. an upper edge surface;
 2. a lower edge surface opposite said upper edge surface and cooperating with the upper edge surface to define the back unit height;
 3. a rear surface;
 4. a front surface;
 5. a first side edge surface having means defining a projection adapted to mate with the dovetail slot on the interior side surface of the first one of the first and second arm units, permitting the dovetail slot to secure said back unit to said first arm unit; and
 6. a second side edge surface opposite said first side edge surface and cooperating with the first side edge surface to define the width of the back unit and including thereon a projection adapted to mate with the dovetail slot on the interior side surface of the second one of the first and second arm units, permitting the dovetail slot to secure said back unit to said second arm unit.
 6. AN UPPER SURFACE OPPOSITE THE LOWER SURFACE AND HAVING THEREON MEANS DEFINING FIRST AND SECOND DOVETAIL SLOTS, EACH DOVETAIL SLOT CLOSELY ADJACENT AN UNIQUELY ASSOCIATED SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND WITH A CENTER AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL THE ASSOCIATED SIDE EDGE SURFACE AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF THE SEAT UNIT AND EXTENDING TO ONE OF SAID FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND SAID REAR EDGE SURFACE AND HAVING A UNIFORM TAPER OVER THE DOVETAIL SLOT LENGTH WITH A LARGER CROSS-SECTION ADJACENT SAID ONE OF SAID FRONT EDGE SURFACE AND SAID REAR EDGE SURFACE; B. first and second arm units, each having
 6. an interior side surface having thereon means defining a dovetail slot located adjacent the arm unit rear edge surface and extending from the arm unit upper surface at least a portion of the height of the arm unit, said arm unit dovetail slot being uniformly tapered over the length thereof and having a larger cross-sectional area at said arm unit upper surface; and C. a back unit having
 6. a second side edge surface opposite said first side edge surface and cooperating with the first side edge surface to define the width of the back unit and including thereon a projection adapted to mate with the dovetail slot on the interior side surface of the second one of the first and second arm units, permitting the dovetail slot to secure said back unit to said second arm unit. 